How perceived gender bias shapes what major women chose

A story on Inside Higher Ed about a new study that showed that perceived gender bias in a given discipline is the primary reason women use for selecting a college major, not the perception that a field is science or math oriented, and interviews Liesl Folks, dean of the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, who is leading a new study aimed at increasing the retention of women in STEM career paths. “Our own experience and data align with the data reported in this new study,” she said, “that girls and women are all too familiar with what constitutes gender bias, inequity and discrimination…. They’ll tend to avoid placing themselves in situations where they are likely to be subjected to these negative experiences.”